10.02.06 – Future superstar Josesito Lopez will now face Gerardo “El Torito” Zayas. They will be battling for the vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title on Friday, February 17 from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. Lopez’ original opponent, Roberto Ventura, was scratched off the card due to the lack of a verifiable record and his legitimate position as a title contender.. Additionally, on his official record, Ventura was coming off three straight losses all by way of knockout.
“Ventura’s management presented all the necessary paperwork, including Mexican newspaper clippings to corroborate the standing he said he had, but it was not enough to solidify him as an opponent, it was too complicated to figure out,” said matchmaker Alex Camponovo. “California’s chief executive officer, Armando Garcia, was the first to disagree on this match and we were able to make the necessary adjustments and keep a championship night for the 17th,” concluded Camponovo.
The new opponent for Jose Lopez will be Gerardo “El Torito” Zayas (16-10-2, 10 KOs) from Tijuana, Mexico. Zayas is a solid puncher with tremendous ring experience. He has faced opponents like Humberto Soto, twice, and Jesus Chavez, and is coming off three 10-round victories and a no decision bout.
Moreover, this main event will strengthen the career of the victor, since the WBC Continental Americas is considered as a title for top ranked fighters. “It is not common to have small venues like ours featuring championship fights,” said promoter Ken Thompson. “We are injecting new blood to the sport of boxing and the result has paid off, we obviously want to continue to give back to those who support boxing with compelling bouts,” concluded Thompson.
A stellar cast will support the Lopez—Zayas battle when a non-stop war will erupt between Timothy “Desert Storm” Ray Bradley Jr. (10-0, 5 KOs), from Palm Springs, CA, and Carlos De La Cruz (8-4, 8 KOs), from McAllen, TX. Bradley will defend his WBC Youth Welterweight title for the first time; he obtained the belt after a unanimous decision over Mexican warrior Francisco Rincon, last September 2005.
Also on the card will be lightweight prospect Freddie Barrera (9-0) against rugged Daniel Gonzalez (7-4-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round battle; Cleotis “Muki” Pendarvis (3-0, 1 KO) will face windmill Jean El Issa (3-3-1, 2 KOs) in a jr. welterweight six-round no holds bar bruiser; and Manuel “Tiernito” Roman (5-0-1, 5 KOs) will face Oscar Blanquet (4-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round flyweight scrap of undefeated foes.
A press conference to formally announce the entire event will take place on Tuesday, February 14, at 11:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario.
Tickets for “Path to Glory – The Wait is Over” are available for purchase at $75, $45, and $30 by calling 714.935.0900 or by visiting www.thompsonboxing.com. Doors to the Event Center will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 p.m.